Local amateur radio operators and members of the National Weather Service (NWS) participated in the Annual SKYWARN Recognition Day on Friday, December 1 and Saturday, December 2, 2006 (0000-2400 UTC). SKYWARN Recognition Day was developed in 1999 by the National Weather Service and the American Radio Relay League. It celebrates the contributions that volunteer SKYWARN radio operators make to the NWS. During the day SKYWARN operators visited NWS offices and contacted other radio operators across the world.

Equipment was setup (with the usual cold temperatures) at the La Crosse NWS office by the Mississippi Valley Amateur Radio Association and Riverland Amateur Radio Club with operators working radios throughout the event. There were a few visitors and operators from other communities that stopped in as well.

We made a total of 266 contacts in 47 states, including 35 other National Weather Service offices and one Environment Canada weather station (Winnipeg). We also made contacts in seven (3) Canadian Providences and the United Kingdom.

We operated on 2m, 10m, 15m, 20m, 40m, 80/75m, 160m, and IRLP. Here are some of the results...

Total # of contacts made: 266

Total # of NWS offices contacted: 35

Total # of states worked: 47

Total # of International Contacts made: 6

State with most contacts: Michigan (22)

Most contacts made on 20m (157)

Busiest hour of contacts: 19:00-20:00 UTC (60)

A special thanks goes out to the Mississippi Valley Amateur Radio Association and the Riverland Amateur Radio Club for their participation and use of equipment. As always, we appreciate the time and effort you put in to assist our office.

Some of the radio operators who made contacts, assisted with setup, or logged included: